Barcelona vice president rules out Adidas as an option to replace Nike as kit sponsors

Barcelona vice president Rafa Yuste has ruled out the possibility of Adidas manufacturing their kits for next season.

In an exclusive chat with ‘X’ user and kit insider Memorabilia1899, Yuste also confirmed that it will only be in May that we will know which brand will manufacture the club’s kits. 

Adidas not an option

This season, a topic in Barcelona that continues to gather steam revolves around their jersey sponsor.

There has been a major fallout with Nike due to disagreement over the terms of their existing contract.

During a recent press conference, Barcelona’s president, Joan Laporta, emphasized that they deserve a more lucrative deal as he pointed out that the Catalans have the highest jersey sales globally.

Laporta also alleged that Nike violated some contract clauses and consequently, the club terminated the contract and notified Nike about it. In response, Nike issued a legal notice.

Amidst all this, reports had surfaced that Adidas, who also happen to be the kit manufacturers of Real Madrid, were interested in entering into a long-term partnership with Barcelona.

However, Yuste has now categorically ruled out that option.

So what next for Barcelona?

As of today, the future of Barcelona’s jersey sponsor remains uncertain. With Nike potentially bowing out, the club is likely exploring alternative sponsorship opportunities. 

This saga underscores the business intricacies behind football, where lucrative deals and brand associations play a crucial role in a club’s financial stability and global image.

For now, Barcelona are left with only two options. Since it is too late to strike a deal with a new sponsor like Puma, Barcelona can only think of either continuing with Nike or manufacturing their own kit.

As for Puma, while they did show serious interest, there is absolutely no time for the company and even for Barcelona to do all the paperwork and then get into the manufacturing process.

As such, the likely outcome is for Barcelona to continue with Nike for another year while looking out to sort out the legal issues before potentially terminating the contract which would allow Barça to enter into an agreement with Puma starting 2026.